"01 - A Difficulty With Dwarves" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gardner Craig Shaw)

I greeted both of them in turn. Hubert complimented me on my entrance and asked if I had ever seriously considered a career in show business. I told him I didn't have time to think of it now, and briefly informed the two of them of the situation at the Wizards College and the upcoming meeting with Ebenezum.

Hubert shook his head. 'You shouldn't be too hasty in a decision of this sort. There's a place for you in our act! Besides, as you probably heard, we're working on a major new opus, "The Ballad of Wuntvor," for the big victory celebration this weekend. You could do a guest appearance! What a natural!' Hubert paused and snorted, producing two perfect smoke rings from his nostrils. 'Of course,' he added, 'the way things are going, we may have to postpone the victory celebration . . .'

I agreed, and added that we should hurry, for the meeting was sure to begin shortly. All I had to do was get out of this restricting canvas.

'Oh, Wuntie!' Alea exclaimed. 'Let me help you!' And with that, she rushed to my side.

What could I do? I knew that once Alea had her mind set on something, she had to have her way. She had called me Wuntie since we had known each other long ago in the Western Woods, and nothing I said to her now could stop it. We had meant something to each other in that long ago time, but it had been naught but a boyhood crush on my

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part, before I met Norei and discovered what true love really meant.

'Here.' Alea giggled as she grabbed the pieces of canvas around my neck. 'We haven't had a chance to be this close in weeks, Wuntie!' Her long blond hair fell in my face, tickling my nose. Her blue eyes were mere inches away from mine, as were her full, red lips.

It was getting awfully hot, trapped in this canvas. I began to sweat.

'I think I found where it starts,' Alea cooed. 'Wuntvor, I'm going to pull this way. If you pull opposite me, maybe we can unravel this.' She giggled again. 'I've always wanted to have a captive male.'

'This is perfect!' Hubert exclaimed above us. 'Are you sure you didn't want to go into show business? Talk about your escape acts! I tell you, it's a natural!'

Perhaps I overreacted then. Perhaps I was still far too worried about what Norei had said to me, and that if I didn't change my ways, she would leave me forever and return to the Western Woods. Perhaps I was worried what Norei might think if she found me in such close conversation with this other woman. Perhaps I thought about how far away the Western Woods really were.

Then again, perhaps I didn't want to be anybody's captive male.

Whatever made me do it, it happened thus: I pulled away from Alea, just as she had indicated. Unfortunately, I pulled away with far more force than she or even I was expecting. The canvas, amazingly resilient piece of fabric that it was, stayed firm, but the force of my movement instantly caused me to lose my balance. As I fell, I saw Alea swept off her feet, pulled by her own steel-fingered grip on the canvas. Once again she screamed.

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'Then again,' Hubert suggested, 'you could perform a credible comedy act.'

How could the dragon joke at a time like this? I was completely lost within the folds of the huge canvas. And what's more, Alea was lost with me!

This was not at all what I had planned to do.

I had meant to tell Alea, once and for all, about my feelings towards Norei. I had meant to tell her that for the time being it might be better if we did not spend any time in close contact. Now we were wrapped together, overwhelmed by a mass of scenery!

But I realized then that I was needlessly panicking; I, the apprentice who had rescued Vushta from the Netherhells. This was all an accident. Both Alea and myself were innocent, completely without ulterior motive. There was no need for my beloved to be informed of this little incident, ever. If I just stayed calm, I could extricate myself in no time, with no harm done.

'Pardon me,' a woman's voice called outside my canvas prison, 'but is Wuntvor here?'

I knew that voice. It was Norei!

'May I help you?' Hubert called in his most ingratiating tone.

'Well, mayhaps,' Norei said hesitantly. I managed to peer again through a hole in the canvas. She looked up at the dragon, and did not see the point where Alea and I lay tangled upon the stage. 'If you can aid me in finding Wuntvor.' She blushed. How beautiful she was with those red cheeks! 'You see, we had an argument. Oh, it was all my fault!'

She had come to apologize! I redoubled my efforts to free myself of the neverending canvas, doing my best to remain silent at the same time. If I could only get out of